Throughout the novel, Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a very cultured and well rounded book. I
do think the parables and titles of each four sections foreshadow what will happen in the section.
In the first section “Feathers from a Thousand Li Away”, the tale told is about a Chinese woman
who migrated to America. However, before she came she bought a swan to bring with her to
America. The person she bought the swan from told her, “this swan was born a duck and in an
attempt to become a goose the duck stretched its neck so far that it became a swan.” When the
woman is en route to America she dreams of raising a daughter that will exceed all hopes in this
new opportunity filled country. Also, she believes her daughter will have a better chance
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There's something about storytelling and
analogies that capture people's attention more than plain dialogue would. There is definitely an
Asian aesthetic that is captured with the different titles and stories behind each section. Also, the
use of the story of the Moon Lady creates a great spin to the story. Many writers use the
“double” trick to show how characters may see themselves in a different light.When the old
woman tells the story of how she thought she fell in the water as a child, it sheds light on how
these mythic stories can get really deep and connect to people. I think that was a great way to
display culture and a use of a literary device in the novel. Actually, the story of the Moon Lady
kind of crept me out but I could see how they could connect to these mythic stories that get
passed down from generation to generation. I don't really feel as if this is a connection between
Asian and American culture. I only say this because I don't feel as if Americans think of
mythical stories when they're going through certain situations or even tell their children these
stories. Although, sometimes as Americans we pass down certain stories that may be a stretch